3,000 Plantains and a Rainbow over Our Home
May brought the start of 3,000 plantains, a new tiller, and a house nearing completion. A rainbow and cows grazing nearby gave us a glimpse of the life we had dreamed of.
In May 2025, we began planting 3,000 plantains at MNC Farms. The road to the other part of our land had been completed in April, and now we were taking another step towards developing our crops.
At the same time, our house was nearing completion. After the months of sleeping in the car and watching the first foundations take shape, we could see a place to stay becoming real. There was still work to do, but there were moments that month when the life we had dreamed of felt very close.
- Plantains we began planting
- 3,000
- Cost per plantain (LRD)
- 50
- New tiller purchase (USD)
- $650
Starting with 3,000 plantains
Each plantain cost us LRD 50 for the planting material. For 3,000 plantains, that came to LRD 150,000. We paid another LRD 150,000 for brushing, preparing the ground, and planting. Together, those recorded planting costs totalled LRD 300,000.
The field photograph belongs to the beginning of that work. It shows the ground being opened up, with cut vegetation still scattered across it and people moving through the site. This was the start of the planting, with the growth still ahead of us.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Planting material: 3,000 plantains at LRD 50 each | LRD 150,000 |
| Brushing, ground preparation, and planting | LRD 150,000 |
| Total of these costs | LRD 300,000 |
A tiller to make the work easier
We also bought a tiller for US$650. Preparing the ground was a large part of the work, and we wanted equipment that could help make it easier.
The photograph shows the red tiller being guided through the soil, with another member of the team alongside. The planting costs above were recorded in Liberian dollars; this equipment purchase was in US dollars.
Our house was nearly ready
In April, the house project had been at the foundation and base stage. By May, the A-frame house was nearing completion. Its timber walls and steep roof had changed the look of the place where we had been visiting and working for months.
We were tired of sleeping in the car. Watching the house come together meant looking forward to something very simple: having a proper place to rest and spend time with our family on the farm.
The life we had been dreaming of
A rainbow appeared behind the house. Around this same stage, the cows came to graze nearby. Those were the moments that made us stop and take in what was happening around us.
We were still surrounded by construction and farm work, but we could also see the home, the animals, and the green land together. This was the life we had been dreaming of. The rainbow photograph at the beginning of this chapter holds that feeling for us.
An unexpected discovery beneath our feet
We dug the ground for the septic tank and were amazed by the different layers of soil and their colours. Work on something practical had given us a closer look beneath the surface of our land.
One photograph shows some of that soil in a hand: reddish-brown pieces with striking yellow-orange patches. The colours caught our attention. Alongside the planting and the house, it became another small discovery we wanted to remember from May.
Plantain, tiller, house, rainbow, cattle, and soil photographs supplied by MNC Farms for this chapter.
Published · Recollections from across May 2025; no single day is assigned to these events.